By Nikki JamiesonSunny South News The Town of Coalhurst has launched the feedback gathering stage of their Recreation Master Plan. Once approved, the master plan will influence the direction of recreation and parks opportunities and services within the town for at least the next 10 years. An engagement plan for the process was approved during council’s regular March 19 meeting. “Having community members involved in the process to build a Recreation Master Plan is critical to its success,” said Coalhurst Mayor Lyndsay Montina in a press release. “We want to hear how residents currently spend th ..read more

By Cal BraidSouthern Alberta NewspapersLocal Journalism Initiative Reporter Alberta Municipalities (ABmunis) is standing firm in its resistance to the injection of political parties into municipal elections. There’s only one problem: Premier Danielle Smith is the one pushing for it.  Tyler Gandam, mayor of Wetaskiwin and president for ABmunis, told the media during an April 9 press conference that the provincial government intends to introduce party politics at the local level sometime soon.  “Perhaps as early as this spring,” he said. In mid-March, Smith and Municipal Affairs Minist ..read more

By Erika MathieuSunny South News TransAlta has joined forced with X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC (X-energy), to study the deployment of X-energy’s Xe-100 advanced small modular nuclear reactors in Alberta. The research is funded by Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) and will explore the feasibility of repurposing a fossil fuel electricity generation site for an Xe-100 plant. The Xe-100 reactor is a pebble-bed, high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). The feasibility study will focus on licensing requirements, potential timelines, economic and regulatory impacts, and “overall suitability” of d ..read more

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South News Coaldale has once again won an internationally-recognized award for their financial reporting. During Coaldale town’s council’s regular April 2 meeting, chief financial officer Kyle Beauchamp announced the Town is, once again, a recipient of a top financial award for their 2022 Annual Financial Report. The award in question is the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting, awarded by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. “This is the fifth year in a row we’ve received the award, dating back to 2018, and it’s one we’re quite ..read more

Dear Editor: Lydia and I have known Father Clair Watrin for the past seven years where he resided at the Presentation Manor, in Toronto, Ontario. We were saddened to hear of his passing. We emailed back and forth and spoke on the telephone. We met his cousin Ruth who lives in Pincher Creek. Fr. Clair was like a father to us and will miss him deeply. We recognized his picture in the Easter Greeting  from the Basilian Fathers. Once I asked which one he is in the picture,  he said the “handsome one.” We remember Fr. Clair when he preached in his Mission at  St. Ambrose Church in Co ..read more

By Heather CameronSouthern Alberta NewspapersLocal Journalism Initiative Reporter During the 2024 Ag Expo that was held in Lethbridge there was an event called ‘thinkAg: Career Fair’ hosted by Ag for Life, where youth from Coalhurst, Coaldale, Picture Butte, Cardston, W.R. Myers in Taber, and Warner came to learn from professionals associated with the agriculture industry. During that event, Byrne Cook, Chair of the School of Agriculture at Lethbridge College, spoke about the importance of always having another plan. “There’s going to be opportunities and people that cross your paths that prov ..read more

By Erika MathieuSunny South News With planning well underway for the upcoming Southern Alberta Southern Games (SASG), organizers are encouraging interested volunteers to come forward and lend their time to some of the amazing competitive events taking place in Coaldale from July 3-6, 2024. Among the 20 official competitive events recently confirmed by the Town of Coaldale, the 2023 SASG will include Track and Field. Under this multi-sport banner, a number of events will take place spread over July 5 and July 6 and will feature the highest number of athletes out of all of the 20 competitive eve ..read more

Southern Alberta Newspapers A resident of Coaldale is facing multiple criminal charges following a robbery in Coaldale on April 9. According to a RCMP-issued release, Coaldale RCMP have charged Jason Wieler (28) with robbery with a firearm and possession of property obtained by crime. On Monday, April 8, 2024, at approximately 11:15 a.m., Coaldale RCMP were dispatched to an armed robbery at a local bank. Following an investigation, the RCMP found the male suspect had presented a note to a bank teller on-shift requesting an undisclosed sum. According to the RCMP release, “there was a threat tha ..read more

By Trevor BuschSouthern Alberta Newspaperseditor@tabertimes.com Nominations are now open for 2024 inductions into the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame. The Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame was created in 1951 to recognize individuals on a biennial cycle who have made significant contributions to the agriculture and food industry and to the development and sustainability of rural life in Alberta. “We do agriculture quite well in our riding,” said Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter. “And basically, every two years up to three individuals that have demonstrated exemplary leadership or had a province w ..read more

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South News The following are selected briefs from director reports presented during the April 2 meeting of Coalhurst town council. CAO Report • Town staff is busy preparing for summer events and community programming, including: • Volunteer appreciation luncheon • Completion of budgets and delivery of tax notifications • Road and sidewalk repair and replacement programs • Transitioning to new financial software • Undergoing sewer lining program • Implementing new facility booking software • Developing a community garden site and planting community fruit trees in Imperial ..read more